On 28 Sep, 10:23, Boltar wrote:
Surely by now it would be time to design a standard layout for train
controls? They all do the same thing after all. I don't have to have
48 hours training to get into a model of car I've never driven before
- theres the steering wheel, brake , pedals , sorted. Off I go. Even
in commercial aircraft which are a magnitude more complex to operate
than any train ever built Airbus have managed to produce controls that
are consistent between different models. Why on earth can't train
builders do the same thing??

A commercial pilot still needs certification for every aircraft type
he flies, even if they are from the same family and have similar
controls. The same is true for trains - i.e. the controls are pretty
similar, the point is about knowing how the train performs under
emergency braking, what to do if it stops working, etc...

When it comes to cars, society is willing to accept a higher risk of
injury and death than other transport in exchange for the convenience
they provide. A fairer way of phrasing your question above would be
"why are motorists allowed to take control of completely different
types of cars without fully familiarising themselves with their
mechanical workings and emergency braking performance, when this would
be considered reckless in more or less every other mode of powered
transport?"

--
John Band
john at johnband dot org
www.johnband.org